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Who will Lions face in NFL playoffs? Predicting bracket matchups, path to Super Bowl
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- Who will Lions face in NFL playoffs? Predicting bracket matchups, path to Super Bowl
The Detroit Lions path to Super Bowl 59 is one of the biggest postseason questions remaining entering the final week of the 2024 NFL regular season .
The Lions face the Minnesota Vikings in a winner-take-all meeting at Ford Field in Week 18 to determine the 1-seed in the NFC playoff picture. The winner of Sunday night's game will earn a first-round bye, while the loser will be relegated to the fifth seed playing on the road on wild-card weekend.
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The stark disparity between outcomes along with the team's records at 14-2 make it one of the biggest season finales in franchise history , if not the biggest. The Lions will try to put a cap on the most successful regular season of all time and avoid entering the postseason on the wrong foot after spending most of the season on top of the conference.
Even though the entire NFC bracket remains in the air outside of the Philadelphia Eagles being locked in as the 2-seed, let's make some predictions of how the bracket will shake out this weekend and beyond in the march to Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans .
Lions playoff seeding scenarios
The Lions will be the NFC 1-seed with a win or tie over the Vikings in Week 18 or the 5-seed with a loss. If Detroit wins Sunday to earn a bye, the opponent in the Divisional round Jan. 18-19 would be the lowest-seeded team to advance from wild-card weekend, between seeds 4-7.
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If the Lions lose they'll be on the road and the wild-card opponent would be either the 4-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Atlanta Falcons or Los Angeles Rams . That game likely will be on Monday night Jan. 13, as the NFC 4-5 matchup has been the MNF game for three consecutive seasons since playoff expansion.
TRENDING: Ranking Lions vs Vikings position-by-position in Week 18 showdown
Lions playoff path prediction
How might the NFC playoff picture play out? Let's predict the bracket for the 2024 NFL playoffs.
Week 18 predictions for NFC games with playoff implications
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The Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers .
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The Washington Commanders beat the Dallas Cowboys .
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The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears .
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints .
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The Los Angeles Rams lose to the Seattle Seahawks .
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The Lions beat the Vikings on Sunday Night Football.
If that plays out, the Lions would be the 1-seed and earn a first-round bye, awaiting the lowest-seeded winner to advance to the Divisional round.
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NFC playoff seeding prediction
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1. Lions
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2. Eagles
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3. Buccaneers
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4. Rams
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5. Vikings
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6. Commanders
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7. Packers
NFC wild card round playoff predictions
Picks:2-seed Eagles over 7-seed Packers; 3-seed Bucs over 6-seed Commanders; 5-seed Vikings over 4-seed Rams.
NFC Divisional round playoff predictions
Picks:1-seed Lions take the third matchup over the 5-seed Vikings to set up the first NFC championship game at home for Detroit in the franchise's history; 2-seed Eagles defeat the 3-seed Buccaneers for a dose of playoff revenge for playoff losses in 2021 and 2023.
NFC conference championship prediction
Pick:1-seed Lions reach the first Super Bowl in franchise history by corralling Saquon Barkley and the 2-seed Eagles.
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Super Bowl 2025 prediction
Pick:The Lions' ride ends without a trophy Feb. 9 in New Orleans . Lamar Jackson tears through the defense to give the Baltimore Ravens their first Super Bowl victory since the 2012 season in Super Bowl 47 , extending Detroit's wait for at least one more year and Super Bowl 60 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
NFC playoff picture entering Week 18
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1. Detroit Lions (14-2)
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2. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
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3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
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4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
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5. Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
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6. Washington Commanders (11-5)
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7. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
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In the hunt:Atlanta Falcons (8-8)
AFC playoff picture entering Week 18
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1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)
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2. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
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3. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
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4. Houston Texans (9-7)
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5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
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6. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
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7. Denver Broncos (9-7)
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In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-8), Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
NFL playoff schedule 2024
Wild-card round: Jan. 11-13.
Divisional round: Jan. 18-19.
Conference championships: Jan. 26.
Super Bowl 59: Feb. 9.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press . Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Predicting Lions NFL playoffs opponents and path to Super Bowl 2025
